Yonkai no Yokai

Yonkai no Yokai Deep Dive

What the Community Thinks About Yonkai no Yokai

Reviewers who cover climbing and shedding card games tend to agree that Yonkai no Yokai, published by New Mill Industries, is an unusually clever design. Mike Delisio, The Dice Tower, placed it seventh on their list of the best trick-taking and climbing games of 2025, calling it a super clever game and a really, really fun one. Justin of Board Game Animal gave it a 9 out of 10 and said they keep itching to bring it back to the table. Justin's later list of climbing and shedding games returns to it with a more personal angle, describing it as unique among everything in their collection because of how its theme and mechanics are fused.

The praise is consistent across both channels. Neither reviewer treats the game as a novelty built around its spirits and elevator theme. Both focus on how the elevator controls what can be played, and how that control leaves room for real decisions. The only comparative note comes from Delisio, who sets Yonkai no Yokai alongside Ghost Lift, another game with a similar theme, and says the two play quite differently.

Core Mechanics That Define Yonkai no Yokai

The Elevator Slider as a Player Aid

The defining feature of Yonkai no Yokai is that the elevator is drawn on the table itself. As Delisio explains, three floor cards show the floors, and a slider card moves along them to show the range of cards that can legally be played next. Justin describes the floors as cards built from numerous cards, with the elevator moving as players add melds to the table. Because the display updates with every play, it is more than a reference sheet. Justin notes that it is "mechanically and thematically relevant," which separates it from the static player aids common in the climbing and shedding genre. As Justin puts it, "You are never at a loss as to what you are able to play."

Climbing and Shedding Melds with the Elevator Button

Players shed cards by playing melds of matching values onto the current floor, such as singles, pairs, or sets of the same number. Each play must fall within the range the elevator shows, and the elevator then moves up or down in response. Delisio notes that the elevator can reverse on its own when someone plays four sixes, the highest value in the game. Every player also holds an elevator button that lets them change the direction mid-game. Justin frames the result as players "manipulating the elevator's ascent or descent" while trying to shed their hands faster than everyone else. The direction control is what keeps the climb from becoming a simple sequence of forced plays.

The Yonkai no Yokai Experience

Thinking Several Turns Ahead

Much of the tension in Yonkai no Yokai comes from the elevator's return. Because the display shows what is playable now, the real question is what the elevator will look like when it comes back around. Justin describes the process as thinking many turns ahead, asking what will be needed in the hand "if it gets back around to me." That anticipation gives the game a steady undercurrent of planning. Players must decide whether a play compromises a set they will need later, which means that a simple shed can carry long-term consequences.

Quick to Learn, Deep to Master

Reviewers describe a game that is easy to start and slow to exhaust. Justin says it is an easy game to learn because the display removes most of the guesswork, and points to a lack of analysis paralysis at the table. The depth appears only after several plays, once the player sees how the elevator's movement and direction changes interact across rounds. Delisio's comment that the game is "really, really fun" fits this pattern, since the experience is lively without demanding a lengthy explanation before play begins.

What Makes Yonkai no Yokai Stand Out

A Player Aid That Is Also Part of the Theme

Both channels single out the elevator as the feature that makes the game distinctive. Justin observes that the game is themed around yokai riding an elevator, and that the elevator is represented on the table through cards that double as a player aid. Justin argues that most player aids are not especially helpful and are rarely involved in the mechanics that move on each turn. Yonkai no Yokai breaks that pattern, which is why Justin calls it one of the cleanest designs on their list. The theme is not decorative; it is the same object that tells players their options.

Strategy Without Feeling Scripted

A display that lists every legal play could make a game feel as though it plays itself. Justin addresses this concern directly, arguing that knowing the playable melds still leaves a wide decision space. Players must manage their hands to avoid compromising a set they will need when the elevator returns to them, and the direction button adds another layer of choice. The result is a game that feels guided rather than restricted. For Delisio, the mechanics are clever enough to be memorable, and the game reads as a clear and engaging example of the climbing and shedding genre.

Potential Drawbacks

Lighter Scoring Than Ghost Lift

Delisio notes that Ghost Lift has more going on in its scoring than Yonkai no Yokai does. Delisio is quick to add that both are terrific games, so the difference is one of emphasis rather than quality. Players who want a scoring system that rewards long planning across a whole session may find Yonkai no Yokai more streamlined than they expect. That streamlining is part of what makes it approachable, but it is a trade-off worth knowing before the first game.

A Theme and Mechanism Close to Ghost Lift

Delisio observes that Yonkai no Yokai is not the only game on their list themed around spirits in an elevator. Delisio describes the two as sounding very similar on paper, with cards that set the playable range in both. Ghost Lift uses arrow cards to indicate whether the elevator goes up or down, which changes how the two feel in play. Still, players who are looking for a fresh theme or mechanism may find the overlap noticeable. Reviewers agree the games are different in practice, but the shared premise can make the choice between them harder than it looks.

If You Enjoy Yonkai no Yokai

Players who enjoy Yonkai no Yokai's elevator-driven climb will find a close relative in Ghost Lift. Delisio describes it as sharing a similar theme and several similar ideas, but playing quite differently through arrow cards and a more involved scoring system.

Players who value the tension of managing a hand while keeping future plays open will appreciate Scout. Justin calls it spectacular for its double-sided cards, locked hands, and clever hand manipulation.

For a tighter two-player experience with quick decisions, Crisps offers a similar sense of compact, satisfying play. Justin describes it as a "small, quick, snappy two-player climber" with bombs and deck draw, and says it brings back the classic card games that drew them into the hobby.